Modular architecture for feeding a phased antenna array

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular architecture for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals using a phased antenna array. A first portion of the RF signal is transmitted/received by a master IC ( 21 ) and a second portion of the RF signal is transmitted/received by a plurality of satellite ICs ( 22 ). RF distribution between the master IC ( 21 ) and the satellite ICs ( 22 ) occur over a low-RF-loss interposer ( 51 ). The master IC ( 21 ) performs upconversion/downconversion between RF signal and a baseband or intermediate frequency signal.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A modular beamforming architecture for transmitting signals via a phased antenna array, the phased antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements that is grouped into a first portion of antenna elements and a second portion of antenna elements, wherein the modular beamforming architecture is based on a beamforming module comprising:
 a master integrated circuit, IC, configured to receive a low frequency signal, wherein the low frequency signal is any one of an intermediate frequency signal (IF) and a baseband signal (BB), the master IC comprising:
 a frequency conversion module configured to upconvert the low frequency signal into a radio frequency, RF, signal comprising a first portion of the RF signal and a second portion of the RF signal; 
 a plurality of beamforming submodules configured to perform phase shifting for the first portion of the RF signal for beamforming and to directly feed the phase shifted first portion of the RF signal to the first portion of antenna elements; 
 at least one RF signal output configured to output the RF signal or the second portion of the RF signal; and 
 wherein, when the at least one RF signal output is configured to output the RF signal, further comprising a plurality of RF inputs for receiving the first portion of the output RF signal; 
   and   a plurality of satellite ICs configured to feed the second portion of the antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of satellite ICs is configured to receive a part of the RF signal or a part of the second portion of the RF signal provided by the at least one RF signal output of the master IC, to perform phase shifting to the received part of the RF signal or the second portion of the RF signal for beamforming, and to feed a subset of the second portion of antenna elements.   
     
     
         2 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the beamforming submodules of the master IC is configured to feed a number of antenna elements among the first portion of antenna elements that is equal to a number of antenna elements of the subset of the second portion of antenna elements fed by one of the satellite ICs. 
     
     
         3 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 1 , wherein the master IC is configured to receive a local oscillator signal and the master IC comprises a multiplier that multiplies the local oscillator signal by an integer, and wherein the frequency conversion module is configured to upconvert the low frequency signal into the RF signal using said multiplied local oscillator signal. 
     
     
         4 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the RF signal is divided into a plurality of parts by at least one of the master IC and a plurality of power splitters along a signal distribution path between the master IC and satellite ICs, wherein each part of the second portion of the RF signal is fed into one of the plurality of satellite ICs, or
 wherein the RF signal is divided into a plurality of parts by at least one of the master IC and a plurality of power splitters along a signal distribution path between the master IC and satellite ICs, wherein each part of the RF signal is fed into one of the plurality of satellite ICs or into one of the beamforming submodules.   
     
     
         5 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 1 , wherein the RF signal is distributed to the satellite ICs and to the beamforming submodules via a low-loss interposer, or
 wherein the first portion of the RF signal is distributed to the beamforming submodules within the master IC and the second portion of the RF signal is distributed to the satellite ICs via a low-loss interposer, and/or   wherein the low frequency signal is distributed to the master IC via a printed circuit board (PCB).   
     
     
         6 . A modular beamforming architecture for receiving signals via a phased antenna array, the phased antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements grouped into a first portion of antenna elements and a second portion of antenna elements, wherein the modular beamforming architecture is based on a beamforming module comprising:
 a master integrated circuit, IC, configured to produce a low frequency signal based on a received radio frequency, RF, signal comprising a first portion of the RF signal and a second portion of the RF signal, wherein the low frequency signal is any one of an intermediate signal and a baseband signal, the master IC comprising:
 a plurality of beamforming submodules configured to perform phase shifting for beamforming for the first portion of the RF signal received directly from the first portion of antenna elements, for obtaining the phase shifted first portion of the RF signal; 
 at least one RF signal input configured to receive the phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal or the RF signal or a phase-shifted RF signal and a phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal; 
 when the at least one RF signal input is configured to receive the phase-shifted RF signal, further comprising a plurality of RF outputs for outputting the phase-shifted first portion of the RF signal received by the plurality of beamforming submodules; and 
 a frequency conversion module configured to down convert the phase-shifted RF signal into the low frequency signal; 
   and   a plurality of satellite ICs configured to perform phase shifting for beamforming to the second portion of the RF signal received by the second portion of antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of satellite ICs is configured to receive a part of the second portion of the RF signal that is received by a subset of the second portion of antenna elements, to perform phase shifting for beam forming to the respective part of the second portion of the RF signal to produce a respective part of the phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal, and to feed the respective part of the phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal towards one of the at least one RF signal input of the master IC.   
     
     
         7 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 6 , wherein each of the beamforming submodules of the master IC is configured to serve a number of antenna elements among the first portion of antenna elements that is equal to a number of antenna elements of the subset of the second portion of antenna elements served by one of the satellite ICs. 
     
     
         8 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 6 , wherein the master IC is configured to receive a local oscillator signal and the master IC comprises a multiplier that multiplies the local oscillator signal by an integer, and wherein the frequency conversion module is configured to down-convert the RF signal into the low frequency signal using said multiplied local oscillator signal. 
     
     
         9 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 6 , wherein a plurality of parts of the second portion of the RF signal is combined into the second portion of the RF signal by at least one of the master IC and a plurality of power combiners along a signal distribution path between satellite ICs and the master IC, or wherein the plurality of parts of the RF signal is combined into the RF signal by at least one of the master IC and a plurality of power combiners along a signal distribution path between satellite ICs and the plurality of beamforming submodules and the master IC, wherein each part of the RF signal is provided by one of the plurality of satellite ICs or by one of the beamforming submodules. 
     
     
         10 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 6 , wherein the RF signal is distributed from the satellite ICs and from the beamforming submodules via a low-loss interposer, or
 wherein the first portion of the RF signal is distributed from the beamforming submodules within the master IC and the second portion of the RF signal is distributed from the satellite ICs via a low-loss interposer, and/or   wherein the low frequency signal is distributed to the master IC via a printed circuit board (PCB).   
     
     
         11 . A method for transmitting signals via a phased antenna array using a modular beamforming architecture, the phased antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements that is grouped into a first portion of antenna elements and a second portion of antenna elements, wherein the modular beamforming architecture is based on a beamforming module comprising a master IC and a plurality of satellite ICs, wherein the master IC:
 receives a low frequency signal, wherein the low frequency signal is any one of an intermediate frequency signal and a baseband signal;   upconverts the low frequency signal into a radio frequency, RF, signal comprising a first portion of the RF signal and a second portion of the RF signal;   performs, by a plurality of beamforming submodules, phase shifting for the first portion of the RF signal for beamforming, and feeds the phase shifted first portion of the RF signal directly to the first portion of antenna elements; and   outputs the RF signal or the second portion of the RF signal; and   wherein, when master IC outputs the RF signal, the master IC receives, by a plurality of RF inputs, the first portion of the output RF signal for said beamforming submodules;   and wherein the plurality of satellite ICs:   feeds the second portion of the antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of satellite ICs:
 receives a part of the RF signal or a part of the second portion of the RF signal output by the master IC; 
 performs phase shifting to the received part of the RF signal or the second portion of the RF signal for beamforming; and 
 feeds a subset of the second portion of antenna elements. 
   
     
     
         12 . A method for receiving signals via a phased antenna array using a modular beamforming architecture, the phased antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements grouped into a first portion of antenna elements and a second portion of antenna elements, wherein the modular beamforming architecture is based on a beamforming module comprising a master IC and a plurality of satellite ICs, wherein the master IC:
 produces a low frequency signal based on a received radio frequency, RF, signal comprising a first portion of the RF signal and a second portion of the RF signal, wherein the low frequency signal is any one of an intermediate frequency, IF, signal and a baseband, BB, signal;   performs, by a plurality of beamforming submodules, phase shifting for beamforming for the first portion of the RF signal received directly the first portion of antenna elements for producing the phase-shifted first portion of the RF signal;   receives a phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal or a phase-shifted RF signal comprising a phase-shifted first portion of the RF signal and a phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal;   wherein, when the master IC receives the phase-shifted RF signal, the master IC outputs, by a plurality of RF outputs the phase-shifted first portion of the RF signal from said beamforming submodules; and   down converts the phase-shifted RF signal to produce the low frequency signal; and the plurality of satellite ICs:   perform phase shifting for beamforming to the second portion of the RF signal received by the second portion of antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of satellite ICs:
 receives a part of the second portion of the RF signal that is received by a subset of the second portion of antenna elements; 
 performs phase shifting for beam forming to the respective part of the second portion of the RF signal to produce the phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal; and 
 feeds the respective part of the phase-shifted second portion of the RF signal towards one of the at least one RF signal input of the master IC. 
   
     
     
         13 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 2 , wherein the master IC is configured to receive a local oscillator signal and the master IC comprises a multiplier that multiplies the local oscillator signal by an integer, and wherein the frequency conversion module is configured to upconvert the low frequency signal into the RF signal using said multiplied local oscillator signal. 
     
     
         14 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 7 , wherein the master IC is configured to receive a local oscillator signal and the master IC comprises a multiplier that multiplies the local oscillator signal by an integer, and wherein the frequency conversion module is configured to down-convert the RF signal into the low frequency signal using said multiplied local oscillator signal. 
     
     
         15 . The modular beamforming architecture according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the RF signal is distributed to the satellite ICs and to the beamforming submodules via a low-loss interposer, or   wherein the first portion of the RF signal is distributed to the beamforming submodules within the master IC and the second portion of the RF signal is distributed to the satellite ICs via a low-loss interposer, and/or   wherein the low frequency signal is distributed to the master IC via a printed circuit board (PCB).